Wichita eagle., 1887-12-01
WHAT Is IT?
The Funny Thing Some Wood Choppers
Saw in the Timber,

! NEBRASKA CITY, Neb.. Nov. 20.-TwC
wOodchoppers, named John Huff and Lou
Mann, who have been at work on the Mis-
souri, river bottoms near Peru, Nemaha
! county: for several months past, We're il
! the city last night, and related to Globe
Democrat correspondent a strange story
OF their experience Saturday evening, in
which an alleged wild boy figures. Ac
cording to the story of Huff, and
corroborated by Mann, for some
weeks past their hut had been EN-
tered during their absence and the greater
portion OF their edibles either devoured OF
carried off AT first they blamed several
other voodchoppers who were camped neal
by, but their denial and the frequent rope
tition of the depredations put them at a
loss for a solution of the thefts. They Sc
curely barrica ded their hut and the annoy
ance ceased. Then their neighbors began
to complain of the same mysterious disap-
pearance of their grub and a farmer
near by accused the men of robbing
his hen-rooS.s, and even said that
one night he had seen one Of the
men running away from one of his corn
cribs on hands and knees. Last Saturday
evening, as the men returned from work,
they discovered that some one had made
an attempt to break into their hut. and
tracks in the fresh earth about the place
indicated that their visitor had been there
very recently. While Mann remained be
hind Huff went in search of the depreda-
tor. and looking about in the brush and
underground for more than an hour i'll all
directions was about to give up tie hunt
and return home, when, he says, he almost
stumbled on the form Of the most frightful
and misunderstanding creature that ever
met the gaze of human eyes. The sight
seemed to paraiyZe him and root him to
the spot-a mingling of fright and amaze
ment: and not until the animal disap
peared in the thick underbrush could he
even find voice to call to his companions.
He describes it as undoubtedly of human
form, in face and body. but so hideOusIy
defOrmed as to leave only a faint resem-
blance. The body, as far as he could OBJ
serve, was eneirely naked, black and
rough. The head bore slight
resemblance to that of a
negro The eyes, blood-red, protruded
from their sockets, and fangs stuck out
from horribly-Shaped mouth In loco
motion the monstroSity went on all tours.
. using lis arms from the elbows to where
the hands should be as fore feet The
body was so horribly misshapen as to defy
description.
The two men notified their neighbors,
and together followed the direction taken
by the nondescript, but gave up the hunt
when night came on without finding a
trace of IL Owing to the
thick and entangled brush its
capture Is almost an imposSibility. unless
accomplished while out in search of food.
The cold weather and heavy fall of snow
OF last night will undoubtedly drive it out
il 1t does not freeze or starve TO death.
Many persons are inclined 10 doubt the
veracity of Huff and Mann but people in
the vicinity of the scene rather believe in
their truthfulneSS and associate il with a
colOred family named Jacksing, who for
several years lived on the bottoms and left
last spring for Kansas. They were known 10
have had boy of such hideous deformity
As To be frightfUl in his uglinesS. The boy
was often known to have disappeared for
weeks at a time, and his parents often ex-
pressed the wish that he would never re-
turn IL is believed that he was left be-
hind when the family went to Kansas, and
that this defOrmed human and the Great
ure seen by the woodchoppers are identi-
cal Another hunt was 20 have been made
today.